


One Step At A Time

by mmasako



Category: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: Coming Out, First Kiss, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-08
Updated: 2016-09-15
Packaged: 2018-08-13 23:10:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,286
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7989682
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mmasako/pseuds/mmasako
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Pure Scorbus fluff because we can never have too much of that</p><p>Basically everything in The Cursed Child happened besides Act 4, Scene 14</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Albus Potter had always dreaded going back to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the past, but this year felt different. After the events that happened in his fourth year, he felt like he could take on practically anything. 

Albus could hear his little sister Lily yelling something about her missing sneakers down the hall. He knew his mother Ginny was downstairs cooking one last dinner before all her kids left to go to school for another year. The Potter house was always mad on August 31st. All the kids were busy getting their last minute packing in and their parents found it hard not to get overly emotional. 

Albus looked over at his desk where he saw a stack of letters from his best friend Scorpius. They had been writing to each other all summer about anything and everything. Albus wrote to Scorpius constantly and it seemed that Scorpius’ owl would come by and drop off his response before Albus was even finished writing his letter. They always found something to talk about, so that they didn’t get too lonely.

Of course they saw each other over the summer but not often enough. Albus spent a weekend at Malfoy Manor back in June and Scorpius came over to the Potters for a couple days just before Harry’s birthday. Albus kind of wished that Scorpius was there with him right now, but he knew he was going to see him tomorrow morning and he couldn’t be more excited.

After half an hour had passed of Albus sitting on his bed contemplating whether or not he felt he was fully packed, he heard his mother’s voice calling him down for dinner. Soon enough, the whole Potter family was seated around their large dining room table. Ginny laid out the meal and they all began to eat silently.

Albus’ dad Harry was the first to speak. “So, are you all ready for tomorrow?”

His kids reciprocated his question with a series of nods and murmurs of “yes” and “mhm.” 

Harry went on, asking Albus’ older brother James if he was ready for his NEWT exams and talking to Lily about quidditch. Truthfully, Albus wasn’t really listening all that much. 

A couple minutes later, Harry turned to Albus, “Have you talked to Scorpius much this summer, Al?”

“Has he? That’s all he’s done! Haven’t you noticed the overflowing amount of letters piling up in his bedroom?” James laughed.

Albus rolled his eyes at the comment and nodded at his father who seemed fine with that answer because he moved on to talk to Ginny about the latest Ministry business. 

…

The following morning, all five of them packed into the car and headed to Kings Cross Station. This was usually something that Albus detested but the thought of seeing his best friend in a matter of hours made him more than happy. They pulled up to the station at 10:30, which left them plenty of time to get to the platform and catch the train.

As soon as Albus crossed the barrier, he spotted Scorpius. He had his back to Albus, standing in the middle of the platform talking to his father, Draco. When Draco saw the Potters he motioned for his son to turn around. Instantly, Scorpius’ eyes lit up. He smiled widely while he watched Albus make his way over to him. 

“Hello there.” Albus laughed.

“Hi.” 

Neither of them were particularly affectionate, but Albus pulled Scorpius into a hug anyway. They stayed like that for a couple seconds until they both pulled away laughing.

“Again with the hugging?” Scorpius joked. Albus playfully pushed on his shoulder. 

The two boys said goodbye to their families and hurried to get onto the train. They often sat alone on these train rides. It wasn’t that they were outcasts per se, but they just never really got around to making other friends. Scorpius reveled his usual lot of sweets that he brought from home and the pair began to dig in. After what happened last year, neither of them wanted to have another run in with the trolley witch.

“So, how was your summer?” Scorpius said.

“As if you don’t already know everything?” Albus replied sarcastically but continued, “It was alright, I guess. Lily has a new fascination with some muggle pop band and James is excited because it’s his final term. He went on the whole morning about how this was his last journey to Hogwarts and mum all about cried.” 

Scorpius rolled his eyes, “Not that I don’t love hearing about your family mate, but I did ask about your summer, not your siblings’.”

Albus laughed, “My summer was fine, thanks for asking. What about yours?” 

“Pretty uneventful honestly. It gets boring around the house since it’s just dad and I.” Scorpius paused for a second and then said, “I missed you.”

“I missed you too.” Albus smiled weakly and Scorpius leaned over the seat to grab a licorice wand from the pile of sweets in between them. 

The rest of the train journey went by quickly. The two boys talked about their summer adventures as well as how they were looking forward to the upcoming school year. Scorpius mentioned how he wanted to try to attend more quidditch matches this year because his dad had turned him onto the sport. Albus talked about his dad’s surprise birthday party that they held at the burrow a couple weeks back. He realized about halfway through that it seemed kind of pointless to be repeating the story because he had already told Scorpius all about it in one of his letters. Scorpius listened and smiled along anyway. 

When they got to Hogwarts, they shuffled into the great hall where they saw all the professors already seated at the head table. Professor McGonagall stood up to speak. It was the same thing every year; she went straight into the sorting ceremony where all the first years got sorted into their houses and then proceeded to introduce the staff. Her annual beginning of the year speech hadn’t changed in the last five years Albus and Scorpius had been attending Hogwarts and they expected they could recite it off memory. When she was finished speaking, they began the feast. They attempted to chat with other Slytherins while stuffing their faces with food before being dismissed to go back to their dormitories. 

“This is my favorite part of the day.” Scorpius announced to Albus when the two of them were walking back to the Slytherin common room. 

“What? Going to bed? That’s pretty sad Scorp.” 

“No, no I mean just relaxing in the dorm, you know? Not being in the public eye.”

Albus knew what he meant. Ever since the events that happened last year, it seemed that everyone in the castle couldn’t take their eyes off the two of them. They could almost always hear discreet whispers as they walked through the halls. Everyone apparently knew that the two of them almost destroyed the entire universe but then somehow managed to save it in the same short year.

Albus of course realized that their lives weren’t normal. He was just happy that he didn’t have to go through it all alone. Scorpius and him both knew that the other understood them in a way that no one else ever would. In a sense, they felt lucky to have each other. 

The dorm was nice. No one tended to bother them when they were just minding their own business studying on their bed or playing chess in the common room. Albus always enjoyed this time alone with Scorpius. Not that they didn’t already spend every waking minute together already, but there was something about sitting with his best friend in the glow of the common room fireplace that just made him feel so content. 

…

The following couple of weeks went by in a blur. Albus and Scorpius attended class and were drowning in assignments but that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing as it kept them out of trouble. McGonagall was still watching them like a hawk after what happened the year prior. Luckily, the detentions had stopped at the end of term but that didn’t mean that they were totally in the clear. 

Albus and Scorpius were pleased to hear that McGonagall had lifted their Hogsmeade suspension. They had both been with their parents before but they had never experienced it while at Hogwarts. They decided that they would go this weekend because they were both in desperate need of a break.

“What should we do when we get there?” Scorpius asked over breakfast in the great hall, lazily picking at a piece of toast on his plate.

“I don’t know… we could go to The Three Broomsticks? Or Honeydukes? Or Zonko’s Joke Shop looks pretty cool.” Albus offered.

Scorpius stopped picking at his plate and looked up at Albus. “Are we thinking about this too much?”

Albus laughed half-heartedly, “Probably. I don’t know, let’s just go and see what catches our eye.”

“Yeah, alright.” 

… 

Hogsmeade was different then the last time either of the two boys were there. For one thing, they were alone. They didn’t have to follow around their parents all day and listen to whatever they told them to do. Another thing was that it was filled with their classmates.

It wasn’t that Scorpius and Albus didn’t get along with other people at their school, it was just that they didn’t really see the point. They got on so well that they really didn’t need anyone else. 

The two of them settled on going to The Three Broomsticks purely because it was freezing out and that was the first building they saw. They walked inside and found an empty table in the corner. 

“Merlin, it’s cold out. I was not expecting that.”

“Yeah who could’ve guessed Scorp? It’s only the middle of October.” Albus teased. 

“Yeah well… shut up.” Scorpius sighed, looking defeated. 

Albus got up from the table and looked at Scorpius, “You want a butterbeer?” 

“Yeah but I can get my own Al.” Scorpius said.

“Please, I owe you for always stealing your candy on the train.” Albus smiled widely and turned around to head to the counter.

A few minutes later, Albus walked back towards the table with two butterbeers in his hands. He set one down in front of Scorpius before taking his seat.

“Thanks.” Scorpius smiled up at Albus.

“No problem.” 

Before either boy could say anything else, they heard Albus’ name being called from across the room. Sure enough, there was his older brother James. He was sitting at a larger table in the middle of the restaurant with a bunch of other Gryffindors that Albus faintly recognized. Before they could react to James’ outburst, he started walking over.

“Well would you look at that, my little brother is finally allowed in Hogsmeade. Or did you sneak out?” James teased.

“We didn’t sneak out James, McGonagall is easing up on her punishment.” 

“Is she really? Well I’m happy for you two. You shouldn’t have to be shut up in that castle all year.”

“Thank you?” Albus replied and glanced over at Scorpius as if to show he was just as confused as he was. It’s not that he didn’t like his brother, they just never really talked. They had almost nothing in common and ran in completely different circles at school. Plus James was older, more popular. He was a prefect and Albus was just Albus. James had people lined up to be friends with him and Albus had Scorpius. That’s the way it had always been.

Scorpius knew this was a sore subject. Of course, there wasn’t much that Scorpius didn’t know about Albus’ life. He knew that Albus and his brother were never best friends and especially after everything that happened last year, Albus and his brother rarely even spoke, so that fact the James even came over to talk to them in the first place was odd.

James looked accusingly between Albus and Scorpius then, “Oh, am I interrupting something?” 

Scorpius eyes shot up to look at James. Albus cast glances between his brother and his best friend. “No? What makes you think you’re interrupting something?”

“I don’t know, it just seems… tense.” James said after a few seconds.

“Oh, well, uhm, no, you’re not.” Albus replied.

“Right, then I’ll just leave you two to get back to whatever I wasn’t interrupting then.” Scorpius swore he saw James wink before he turned around to walk away but he wasn’t going to mention it. 

“Sorry, James is kind of a twat.” Albus said once James was clear out of earshot.

Scorpius laughed at that. “It’s fine, Al.” Scorpius paused to think about what to say next. “He wasn’t interrupting anything, right? There’s nothing you need to tell me?”

“What? No? Is there something you need to tell me?”

“No.”

Albus stared at the other boy questioningly, “Okay then. So how is your potions essay coming along?”

…

Ever since that day in The Three Broomsticks, Scorpius had been feeling different about his relationship with Albus. When James walked up, he truly wasn’t interrupting anything but it still bothered Scorpius why he felt the need to ask. 

Scorpius thought back to the wink James flashed him before he turned away. Did James know something that he didn’t? Did something happen over the summer?

It’s not that Scorpius had never considered the possibility that he may feel something more than friendship for Albus Potter; it’s just that he never thought Albus would feel the same. Neither of them have ever discussed their sexualities to each other or dating in general. Come to think of it, neither boy had ever shown any interest in anyone at all. In the five years they had known each other, they had never once branched out and tried to talk to another soul and that couldn’t be normal. 

Scorpius decided that he needed to talk to Albus right away. He found him in the dorm, sitting alone on his bed writing a letter to his mum and dad. Scorpius was glad that none of the other boys were there because he couldn’t be bothered to think of a believable excuse to get Albus alone.

When he walked in the room, Albus looked up from the piece of paper he was writing on and smiled, “Oh there you are! I was beginning to worry.”

“Hey Al,” Scorpius said shakily, “I think we need to talk.”

“Alright.” Albus set down his quill and pushed the stationary off to the side, gesturing for Scorpius to sit down. Scorpius quickly locked the door before taking a deep breath and walking over to sit on the foot of Albus’ bed. His heart was beating a million times a minute and he was half afraid that if Albus got too close, he would be able to hear the pounding in his chest.

Albus spoke again, “Is everything okay at home? With your dad, I mean. Did something happen?”

Scorpius shook his head but didn’t dare make eye contact with Albus just yet. He kept his focus on the floor and struggled to find the right words to say.

“Scorp, talk to me. You know you can tell me anything.”

And like, yeah, Scorpius did know he could tell the other boy anything. That’s what was making this so difficult. They had always been so open in the past but for some reason neither one of them had ever thought to bring this up. This impending conversation about what exactly they were to each other. It was obvious that they were a lot closer then any other pair of friends at the school. It’s just that Scorpius never really thought much about it until he started to realize that maybe other people saw it too. 

“I, um, I was just thinking about James, you know, how he came up to us in The Three Broomsticks a couple days ago.” 

Albus looked confused at that but he didn’t speak. Scorpius continued, “He asked if he was interrupting anything and like we both know he wasn’t, but why did he feel the need to ask?”

Scorpius did look up at Albus then searching for any sense of recollection. Albus sighed, “I don’t know. He was just being a dick, you know, trying to get a laugh.”

“When he was walking away, he winked at me. I kind of got the impression that there was something I didn’t know.” 

“He did, did he?” Albus laughed then but it wasn’t his usual laugh, it was more nervous and controlled, “James just likes teasing me, he’s been doing it all summer. For some reason, he’s under the impression that we’re— that me and you are more than just friends.”

“And what do you think?” Scorpius asked.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, why does the whole school seem to be in on something we’re not? Surely, there’s a reason everyone thinks we’re together. Some explanation as to why neither of us have ever shown any interest in dating someone else for the past five years?” 

“What do you think it is?” Albus’ voice was quieter now, not loud and sarcastic like usual.

“I think that you make me feel safe and whenever I’m with you, my mood instantly improves. You make me laugh, and I feel like I can tell you anything. You stuck with me though everything that happened with my mum, as well as everything that happened with Delphi. And when I was in the other world, the one where you didn’t exist, I felt lost and confused. I didn’t really care about being prefect or about making the house quidditch team because I was just so worried about you and I just kept thinking that I may never see you again and that scared me more than any dementor or dark lord.” Scorpius stopped for a second and locked eyes with Albus from across the bed, “I couldn’t see myself needing anyone else.”

Albus stared at him in awe, mouth open slightly in disbelief. He blinked hard once and then continued to look straight in the other boy’s eyes. He scooted closer to Scorpius before speaking again, “I feel like a massive idiot.”

“That’s all you have to say? Albus Potter, I just confessed my deepest feelings to you and all you can say is that you ‘feel like a massive idiot’ I swear—“ Scorpius was cut off by a pair of very soft lips colliding with his. His eyes shot open for a moment before he let them flutter closed. He felt Albus start to slowly move his mouth against his and he followed pace. 

Scorpius’ hand came up to cup Albus’ cheek and Albus wrapped his arms around the other boy’s waist pulling him closer. They stayed like that for a few minutes, contently moving heir mouths against one another before Albus pulled back to catch his breath.

“Well, we’ve never done that before.” Scorpius joked despite the heavy grin on his face.

“Shut up.” Albus said smiling widely, “And for the record, I don’t want or need anyone else either.”

“I guess we were pretty blind to this whole thing.”

“Yeah you could say that.” 

“Does this mean we have James to thank for getting us together?” 

“Oh Merlin, don’t tell him that. He’d never let me live it down.”

Scorpius thought for a moment, “But we are planning on telling him?” 

“I wouldn’t even know what to say.” Albus suddenly looked more shocked than anything. “What does this make us?” 

“Well, I mean, I think I’d really like to call you my boyfriend.” Scorpius said muffling his voice a little.

“Boyfriend? Yeah, I like the sound of that.”

“You do?”

“I do.” Albus grabbed Scorpius’ hand and Scorpius smiled brightly.

“Now all we have to do is figure out how to tell everyone else.”

“One step at a time, alright?” Albus pulled Scorpius closer to him and proceeded to wrap his arms around the other boy’s neck before leaning in to kiss him again. Scorpius let his hands fall into Albus’ hair. This time neither of them had any intention of pulling away any time soon.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here's the classic "coming out" chapter that literally nobody asked for but I wrote anyway, enjoy :)

The thing is, they didn’t intend for it to happen this way. No, not at all.

Albus and Scorpius were wrapped up in each other’s arms one night when they thought all their dorm mates where out at some party when Karl Jenkins came bursting in the room. Upon hearing the door open, Scorpius all but fell off the bed trying to get out of Albus’ grasp. Albus sat up and tried to straighten himself out in hopes that Karl didn’t see what was just happening.

And like, he was decently intoxicated but he wasn’t blind. Karl walked cautiously into the room and sat down on his appropriate bed before speaking. “Were you two just snogging in Potter’s bed?”

Scorpius, who was now sitting on his own bed breathing heavily, cringed at the words. Albus just shot a concerned look at his boyfriend as if asking if they were really going to have this conversation with their roommate.

Karl cast glances between the two of them then sighed, “Yeah that about answers it.”

Albus took a deep breath, “What are you even doing back so early Jenkins?”

“I felt sick, thought I should come lie down. Although now that I just witnessed that, I feel even more sick than before.” He motioned to Albus’ bed as he said it, the annoyance evident in his voice.

Scorpius sat in silence twiddling his thumbs. Albus spoke again, “Are you going to tell everyone?”

“You bet. Goodnight idiots.” Karl rolled over on his side and fell asleep instantly. Scorpius and Albus stared at each other intensely, searching for some sort of answer. Eventually, Scorpius just shrugged and smiled weakly at his boyfriend before lying down and going to bed as well. Albus followed suit.

…

It wasn’t that they were against coming out. No, this was something they had talked about since the very first day they got together. They wanted to tell people; really, they just wanted to do it at their own pace.

Albus knew it would be hard to hide it from his family once they came out at school. Both his siblings were there, not to mention a handful of his cousins, and it didn’t help that his parents were close personal friends with half the staff. The funny thing was that he wasn’t afraid to tell his parents; he knew they would understand, he just wanted to keep Scorpius as his own a little bit longer. 

Scorpius inevitably felt the same way. He didn’t have the same problem as Albus, seeing as he was an only child and didn’t have any cousins, but he knew somehow it would get back to his father. Scorpius genuinely didn’t know how his dad would react. He was okay with Scorpius and Albus being friends and he was friendly to the Albus when he came to visit over during the summer, but dating him was a whole other story. He assumed that he would be okay with it, but he really had no way of knowing.

Karl, true to his word, told half the school by breakfast the next morning. Albus and Scorpius decided to embrace it by walking hand in hand into the great hall. When they appeared in the doorway, practically all the conservations that were taking place stopped. Students from every house and every year stilled and stared at the two boys as they walked to the Slytherin table with their conjoined hands swinging between them.

Once they had sat down, Scorpius grabbed Albus’ hand again and squeezed it comfortingly. Some second year that was sitting near them spoke up, “So it’s true then?”

“Yep.” Scorpius replied blankly, “It’s true.”

“Really? I always thought there was something more going on with you two, congrats.”

Unsurprisingly, most people had similar reactions. Claiming that they “knew all along” and that it was “bloody obvious.” Albus and Scorpius were unfazed by it all. The relief of not having to hide was actually quite liberating. No one seemed angry or annoyed by their relationship and that was all they were really worried about.

That is, until Albus’ brother James walked up to the Slytherin table, taking a seat directly across from the two boys. Albus stared at him wide-eyed and Scorpius didn’t take his eyes off of his boyfriend searching for signs of panic. James cleared his throat before speaking, “How long?”

Scorpius got the hint that Albus was still too in shock to speak and squeezed his hand once more for reassurance before looking over at James, “About a month?”

“So, over the summer, you weren’t…” James trailed off but Scorpius got the hint.

“No, we weren’t.”

“And at The Three Broomsticks?”

Scorpius glanced back over at Albus then, but Albus still showed no signs of taking initiative. “It, um, it happened a couple days after that.”

James looked amused by that answer, “Really? A couple days?”

Albus sighed finally and spoke, “Don’t flatter yourself James.”

James broke out laughing, Scorpius found it hard to contain his smile and Albus just cast looks between the two of them before giving in and smiling up at his boyfriend.

“Well, I gotta hand it to you guys, you sure had everyone fooled.” The sarcasm in his voice was clear as day but he was smiling and Albus knew he meant well. “Hey but really, you two spend so much time together I mean at least now you’re getting something out of it.” 

Albus and Scorpius both blushed hard and prayed that no one else around them heard James’ comment.

James got up from his seat as if to leave but then added, “Don’t worry, I won’t tell mum and dad if you’re not ready, and I’ll talk to the others. Your secret’s safe with us baby brother.”

Albus smiled whole-heartedly at James then. This was the first genuine conversation they had had in a while. He mouthed a quick “thank you” before James turned around and walked back to the Gryffindor table. Scorpius looked at his boyfriend questionably but his worry eased when Albus shifted in his seat so that he could rest his head on Scorpius’ shoulder.

Scorpius kissed the top of Albus’ head and continued to hold on tight to the other boy’s hand that was locked in his. It was all going to be okay.

 …

The next couple days went by surprisingly well. People didn’t really pester them about their relationship at all. At most, there would be quick glances and whispers surrounding them as they walked through the castle but that wasn’t uncommon being who they were. The topic simply just changed to them being a couple rather than them almost ruining the entire universe.

When the two boys would see someone from Albus’ family around the school, they were always civil and sweet. None of them gave off the impression that they were by any means not okay with the newly found relationship and that settled a lot of Scorpius’ worries.

Still, Albus and Scorpius decided that they should tell their families before someone else did. The whole school knew already and even if Albus’ brother had promised that all the cousins would keep it a secret, that didn’t mean that one of the many professors that knew their parents hadn’t already sent an owl saying that their son was seen holding hands with his best friend in the hallway. Scorpius’ could just imagine the look on his father’s face if he had to find out through Professor McGonagall that he was snogging Harry Potter’s son.

Winter break was only a week away and both boys decided that they would do it then. They were having Christmas at their own respected houses with their families, but they had already cleared it with their parents that Draco and Scorpius would come over to the Potters on the 26th for a more easygoing celebration with the Granger-Weasleys. Albus and Scorpius agreed that they would do it in private before then, that way no one would get embarrassed. The only problem was that the boys didn’t know how to guarantee that their families wouldn’t find out some other way.

 …

The following day in Herbology, Scorpius and Albus were reading up on the uses of the self-fertilizing shrubs when it dawned on Albus that Professor Longbottom knew his parent’s quite well. He was in the same year as them at Hogwarts and they were always exchanging owls about who knows what. He can remember his aunt Hermione telling his cousin Rose to “send Neville our love” on their first day of school many years ago. Albus can’t help but wonder if he had already told Harry and Ginny about his current situation.

Once they were dismissed from class, Scorpius tried to grab Albus’ hand but Albus pulled away momentarily. The look of confusion on Scorpius’ face was enough to make Albus hesitate before speaking.

“I’ll catch up with you okay? I just need to ask Professor Longbottom a question.” 

Scorpius’ worried glance eased up a bit and he nodded before hitching his bag onto his shoulder and walking away.

Professor Longbottom was quietly putting away his belongings when he noticed Albus still standing in the greenhouse. He stopped packing his books and looked up at his student. 

“Yes Albus? How can I help you?” 

“It’s um, it’s nothing really. I was just wondering if you maybe already told my mum and dad about me and Scorpius? I mean about me and Scorpius being, like, boyfriends, you know?” Albus stuttered out.

Neville smiled sympathetically, “I had heard a rumor that you and Scorpius were together, Albus, but I’d never tell your mum and dad. It isn’t my place.”

“Oh alright, thank you, sir.” Albus turned to grab his bag from where he discarded it on the floor when he heard Neville call his name again.

“I will say this. Your parents are two of the most understandable and trustworthy people I know. If you’re worried about telling them, you don’t have to be.” 

His smile was genuine and that calmed Albus down enough. He smiled back and muttered a quick thank you before turning around and exiting the greenhouse. Unsurprisingly, Scorpius was leaning against a tree just outside the door waiting for Albus and Neville to finish their talk. 

When Albus saw Scorpius’ face, he knew he had heard the entire conversation. The greenhouse walls were really thin therefore it was tough to do anything in private. Scorpius was beaming when his boyfriend walked up to him and Albus couldn’t help but smile himself.

“Did you get that question you had answered?” Scorpius asked through a series of giggles. 

“Yeah I did. You waited for me?" 

Scorpius reached down to grab Albus’ hand and Albus subconsciously leaned his head down so that it was resting on Scorpius’ shoulder as they walked slowly back to the castle.

“Of course I waited for you. Can’t have you walking back to the castle alone, what if you got attacked by a gigantic spider or your hands got cold?”

Albus let out a bark of laughter, “Yeah we wouldn’t want that would we." 

“No we would not.”

... 

The train ride back to London for winter holiday was trying for Albus and Scorpius. They sat in their usual isolated compartment, struggling to make the most of their last hours together before they had to leave and go home. The next time they would be on this train, everything would be different. It would all be out in the open and that was beyond nerve-racking to think about.

Albus was lying across the seat with his head in Scorpius’ lap while Scorpius flipped through the pages of one of his books. Albus was half asleep and Scorpius was absentmindedly running his fingers through his boyfriend’s hair when suddenly the door to the compartment opened.

Suddenly, Albus’ little sister Lily appeared and sat down on the seat across from them. Albus registered that somebody walked in and sat up. Scorpius put down his book in anticipation of what was about to happen.

Albus looked genuinely confused to see his sister in front of him. He cleared his throat before speaking, “Lily, what are you doing in here?”

“Just thought I’d come and say hi, can’t a girl come visit her brother and his boyfriend?”

“Of course you can.” Scorpius said reassuringly.

Lily smiled at him then continued, “Actually, I was just wondering if you two were planning on telling mum and dad about _this_ over the holiday?”

Before speaking, Albus looked up at Scorpius questioningly who nodded in reply. “Uh yeah Lils we are, why?”

“No reason. But would you say that you’re planning on doing it before Christmas, after Christmas, or in the middle of Christmas dinner?”

“Lily, do you and the others have a bet on us?” Albus asked flatly.

Scorpius glanced between the two siblings shocked, “Of course they don’t, why would they bet on us Al.”

“Well, actually…” Lily said quietly.

“You’ve got to be bloody joking.” Albus groaned, “We use to bet on everything when we were little— What are parents got us for Christmas. How long it would be before mum messed up a dish while cooking dinner. How many drinks it would take for uncle Ron to start telling jokes. But really, you guys are betting on me and Scorpius?”

“We’re not betting on you two as a couple Al. We love you two together, honestly. We just want to know when you’re telling mum and dad.”

“Lily, that’s none of your business.”

“But— “

“No, Lils. Now can you please leave us alone, I only have a little bit less than an hour with my boyfriend before we’re at Kings Cross and I’m not wasting it with you sitting in here awkwardly trying to get information out of us to win a bet.”

“Gross, bye.” Lily sighed before walking out of the compartment.

“Really? That’s what you told her so that she would leave?” Scorpius laughed.

“It worked, didn’t it?”

“I guess you’re right. But seriously Al, your family is betting on us?”

“Let’s not think about that right now okay? I frankly couldn’t care less who wins the bet, as long as we’re out and that we don’t have to hide this from anyone ever again.” 

“Couldn’t agree more.”

Albus smiled and leaned up to kiss Scorpius square on the mouth. Scorpius’ used his leverage to pull Albus up so that he was sitting on his lap and Albus brought his hand to cup Scorpius’ cheek. They stayed like that for a while, contently moving their mouths against one another’s until eventually, Albus sought out to take the kiss a bit farther.

He swung one leg around Scorpius’ lap so that he was straddling him and opened his mouth slightly to give Scorpius better access. He felt his and Scorpius’ tongues collide and his breath hitched in the back of his throat. Scorpius pulled away momentarily to make sure the blinds were closed on the compartment window before leaning in and kissing Albus again.

Albus whined until Scorpius opened his mouth wider and let his boyfriend deepen the kiss. Scorpius instinctively reached around and hung his hands around Albus’ neck. Albus’ hands were resting on Scorpius’ shoulders trying to maintain some control.

After a wile, Albus pulled away from Scorpius’ mouth and used the opportunity to kiss down his boyfriend’s jaw to his neck. He nipped at Scorpius’ neck playfully and Scorpius gasped before quickly covering his mouth.

“Albus, you can’t leave a mark. My dad, he might see it before I’ve had the chance to tell him.” It was incoherent due to his heavy breathing but Albus got the gist of it.

He pulled away from where he was lightly sucking on Scorpius neck and kissed him chastely on the lips one more time. It wasn’t as needy and heated as before, it was more sweet and affectionate. It was slow but both boys understood what it meant.

They knew that they would be arriving at the station soon and then they would have to say goodbye to each other for a week before they were reunited on the 26th and that thought scared them both to no end. Not only would they have to be apart for the first time since starting their relationship, but they had to come out to their families.

Of course, the majority of Albus’ family already knew but he was still terrified. As was Scorpius, him and his dad were never particularly close and it only got worse when his mother died. He knew that his dad wouldn’t be mad or anything, it was just the issue of finding the courage to bring it up.

When they finally pulled away from each other, Albus climbed off Scorpius’ lap so that he was sitting beside him. In an instant, Albus took one of Scorpius hands and looked up into his boyfriend’s eyes. They were both grinning madly and Albus knew he had to utilize this moment before it was gone.

“I love you,” Albus spoke, “so much.”

The look on Scorpius’ face was priceless. “I love you too. Obviously.”

Scorpius leaned down and pecked Albus on the lips one more time before they felt the train come to a halt and they heard the busyness of the crowd outside. Both boys sighed but collected their trunks and exited the train.

When on the platform, Albus could spot his family right away. There were so many of them that they were hard to miss. He saw his mum and dad, his aunt Hermione and his uncle Ron standing off towards the side. He noticed that Lily and their cousin Hugo were already leaning against a nearby wall chatting while the adults scanned the crowd for their other children.

When Ginny saw Albus she smiled and started to wave. Albus smiled back and headed over towards his family. Scorpius followed close behind him, assuming his dad would eventually know to look for him in the mass of Potters and Weasleys.

“Hello dear, hello Scorpius.” Ginny greeted.

“Hi mum.”

“Hello Mrs. Potter.”

Harry walked over and smiled down at his son. “How was the train ride?”

“Pretty fun actually.” Albus smirked.

Scorpius contained his laugh.

Before anyone could say anything else, Draco came walking over from some other side of the platform. “Scorpius there you are!”

Scorpius smiled shyly at his father before saying a quick hello.

Draco turned his attention to Harry and Ginny then. “I should know by now that my son is always with your family huh? Sorry I got here a bit a late, I was afraid I had missed him.”

“Not a worry, Draco. The boys just got off the train.”

“Oh alright. That’s good, thank you Harry.” Draco looked back down at his son, “Ready to go?" 

“Yeah, just one sec.” Scorpius dropped his trunk on the floor and turned around to capture his boyfriend in a hug. Albus was a bit thrown off guard but didn’t seem to mind at all.

“I love you.” Scorpius whispered in Albus’ ear before he pulled away.

“I love you too.” Albus replied.

The two boys pulled away and smiled wildly at each other. Truthfully it was nothing out of the ordinary to the adults. Albus giggled as Scorpius reached down to pick up his discarded luggage, “I’ll see you on the 26th.”

“Can’t wait.” Scorpius replied honestly. He turned around and walked to the car with his father, the knowledge of what he had to do in the next week lingering over him like a dark cloud.

…

Malfoy Manor was quite nowadays. It was a big estate and it was just Scorpius and his dad, truth be told it got a bit lonely. When they arrived home from the train station, Scorpius saw that the mansion was already decked out in holiday decorations.

Scorpius smiled at his dad as they walked inside before turning to head up to his room to put away his trunk. Draco quickly reminded him that dinner would be ready at 6:30 to which Scorpius nodded and ran up the stairs.

By the time dinner was ready, Scorpius was a wreck. He knew in theory that he didn’t have to tell his father right now, he had the whole week leading up to Christmas to slip him the news, but he felt that if he didn’t he would be living some sort of lie. Albus was always a huge part of his life but now it was unavoidable. He decided that he had to tell his father at dinner, that way it was out of the way and he had a whole week to process it before they went over to the Potter’s on the 26th.

As he sat down for dinner, Draco could tell his son was nervous about something. Draco watched as Scorpius sat in his seat and anxiously pushed his peas around on his plate with his fork. He decided that it would just be best if they got whatever this conversation was out of the way.

Draco cleared his throat then said, “Son, is there anything you want to tell me?”

Scorpius’ eyes shot up to meet his fathers. If he was nervous before, he was down right terrified now. He stuttered a bit before speaking “Um, yeah, actually yes there is.”

Draco set down his fork and knife to show Scorpius that he had his undivided attention, “Okay.”

Scorpius swallowed the lump in his throat and decided that it was now or never. “I’m sort of seeing someone.”

“Oh,” Draco stalled, that wasn’t what he was expecting at all. He was guessing that maybe Scorpius failed a paper or got in more trouble with McGonagall. From the way Scorpius was acting all day, he had thought that he would be getting bad news but this wasn’t bad. No, this was good. To say it confused Draco would be an understatement.

“Well, that’s wonderful. Who is it?”

Scorpius took a deep breath before revealing, “It’s Albus dad. I’m dating Albus.” 

Draco’s eyes widened at the news but then his mood softened up a little, “I didn’t even know you were gay?”

Scorpius blushed, “Neither did I really.” 

“Well that’s just fine. Are you happy with him?" 

“Yes. Very.”

“Then I’m happy for you.”

Scorpius’ demeanor eased instantly and his face broke out into a smile. Draco smiled back at his son and continued to eat his dinner as if nothing had changed. For the first time since he got home that afternoon, Scorpius could breathe.

After dinner was over Scorpius raced to his room to write to Albus. He was in such a good mood; he wanted to immortalize this feeling so that he would never forget it. He went to his desk and pulled out a quill and a piece of paper. 

_“Dear Albus,_

_I told dad!! It went really well. We were having dinner and I just decided to go for it. Well actually, he noticed I was a bit on edge and asked me what was wrong. But still, I told him! I think my exact words were ‘I’m seeing someone’ and then when he asked who it was I just blurted out your name. He didn’t even really seem fazed by it, he just asked if we were happy to which I said ‘very’ and that was that. I know it’s still early in the week so you probably haven’t told your mum and dad yet, but let me know the second you do!!! Okay I’m going to go now. I get to see you in 6 days! I can’t wait; honestly, I miss you so much already._

_I love you,_

_Your Scorpius"_

...

Albus was sitting in his living room with his siblings watching TV when Scorpius’ owl arrived. It nearly startled them all to death seeing as it was close to midnight and they really weren’t expecting any thing this late at night.

Albus and Lily looked startled, but James just started to laugh. Before Albus could even read the letter, James started to speak, “Let me guess, the boyfriend? Can’t even go a whole day without talking to each other. Huh, Al?”

Albus blushed slightly and tore open the envelope. He scanned through Scorpius’ words once, twice, three times, before sighing and collapsing back onto the couch.

“What’s the matter?” Lily asked.

“He told his dad." 

“Isn’t that a good thing?”

“Yes, of course it is. Just now I have to tell mum and dad.”

“Wait, Scorpius told Draco? That means I win the bet! He did it before Christmas!” James announced proudly.

“Wrong James. The bet was when Albus would tell mum and dad not about Scorpius and Draco.” Lily offered.

“Bloody hell. Al, just get it over with. It’s like ripping off a Band-Aid you know? Fast and painless.” James retorted walking over to where Albus was laying down on the couch.

“You can’t tell him when to do it James. That’s cheating.”

“Will you both shut up? Merlin. I’m stressed out enough without you two betting on my misery.” Albus sat up staring at his brother and sister as they exchanged a sympathetic look.

“Sorry Al.”

“Yeah we’re sorry.” James said, “But like honestly, when are you gonna do it?” 

“I have no idea.”

…

The next couple days leading up to Christmas were uneventful for Albus. Whenever he felt like he found the right moment to tell his family, he would chicken out. That’s presumably why it was now Christmas Eve, and his mum and dad still had no idea.

Their whole family was over at the burrow for a big celebration together before their own more intimate celebrations the next day. Albus’ mum was in the kitchen with his grandmother and all the other aunts while his dad was sitting in the dining room discussing ministry business with his grandfather.

All the cousins were sitting in the family room waiting for dinner to be ready. Albus was on edge. Scorpius would be coming to his house in two days and he still hadn’t told his mum and dad that they were dating. Meanwhile, Scorpius had been writing Albus daily about his holiday with his dad. He knew of course that Albus hadn’t told his family yet and as usual he was his kind and encouraging self.

He told Albus in his letter yesterday that if he was too uncomfortable to come out to his family, then Scorpius could just tell his dad not to mention anything and they wouldn’t have to address it at all. Albus had replied saying that he was probably just worrying for nothing and that he would tell his parents as soon as the moment felt right. Albus knew that it wasn’t fair to make Scorpius go through all that torment just to have to continue to hide their relationship.

As his cousins continued to talk and gossip around him, Albus sat in silence with a million thoughts running through his head. It was his cousin Rose that stirred him back to reality.

“Albus, have you told your mum and dad yet about Scorpius?" 

Albus cringed at the words. “No.”

“What? Well when are you planning on doing it?” Rose shot back.

“I don’t know Rose, okay?” Albus sighed, kind of annoyed. Of course, he wasn’t annoyed at Rose or any of his cousins; no he was annoyed at himself. Truthfully, he should’ve just gotten it over with by now.

“Fair enough.”

The conversation moved on and Albus continued to sulk in the corner, lost in his own mind until eventually one of the adults called them in for dinner.

Dinner was fine. There were so many of them when they all got together that it was impossible to listen in on every conversation. The adults usually talked about work stuff, the kids often discussed things like quidditch. Albus was once again lost in thought, but before he knew it his mother was leaning over the table calling his name.

Albus looked up to meet his mother’s eyes before she spoke, “Is everything okay dear? You’ve been acting a bit off lately.” 

Albus was about to confirm that yes, he was fine, but then he thought about it. This was his out. This was it; this was the moment he was waiting for. He shook his head slightly, feeling the butterflies building in his stomach.

Ginny instantly looked worried sick, she pushed back her chair and motioned for Albus to follow her out of the loud dining room but Albus stopped her. By this point, everyone else at the table had stopped their conversations and was looking over at the mother and son with a concerned expression.

Albus looked around the table filled with his entire family: his mum, his dad, his brother and sister, all his cousins, his aunts and uncles, his grandparents. He decided that it would be best if they all heard it from him instead of it travelling through the grapevine.

He took a deep breath and stood up. James, who was sat next to him, looked up at him with a shocked expression as if he was mentally asking, _“are you really going to do this?"_

Albus could feel everyone’s eyes on him and he knew that he had to do this now. He locked eyes with his father who was staring at him intensely. “I’m in love with Scorpius Malfoy. And I know you and his dad never really saw eye-to-eye but you also seem to be getting along fine ever since Scorpius and I became friends our first year. And Mr. Malfoy was fine with it all when Scorpius told him so I just really hope that you guys—all of you, can be okay with this too.”

He took another breath and looked at everyone’s expressions. All of his cousins were beaming at him, his grandparents looked shocked but not upset, his aunt Hermione was smiling wide, as was his uncle Ron, and all his other aunts and uncles seemed to be unfazed by his outburst.

His mum was staring at him with the most sincere look Albus thinks he has ever seen, and his dad looked as if he had just been hit square in the face. Albus slowly sat back down and James gave him a reassuring thumbs up. Harry was staring off into nothing unaware that the whole table was waiting on his reaction. 

He looked up and met his son’s gaze before speaking, “Well, alright.” He paused for a second pondering what to say next. “I have to admit, I’m a bit thrown off guard here son, but of course we’re okay with it. Merlin, you spend all your time with the boy anyway. You said that Scorpius told Draco?”

 “Mhm.”

“Are they still coming over on the 26th?”

“Mhm.”

“Okay good. That’s great. I’m happy for you Albus.” Harry said, his serious gaze breaking into a smile.

“Me too darling.” Ginny added.

There were a couple seconds of awkward silence and then Albus’ grandmother, Molly, got up to speak. “I think everyone at this table is very happy for you Albus dear, now who wants dessert?”

…

Once Albus got home that night, he ran up to his room and started writing a letter to Scorpius. He knew that it was too late to send out now so he decided that he would send it first thing in the morning and hope that it got to Scorpius as soon as possible. He wrote: 

_“Dear Scorpius,_

_I told them, finally. I should clarify though; by ‘them’ I mean the entire Weasley family. Yeah I just got up and announced it at Christmas Eve dinner, can you believe that? Can you even picture me standing up and announcing that ‘I am in love with Scorpius Malfoy’ to a table full of my family? Well I did, and I feel so much better now. Mum took it really well, dad was a bit put off at first but then he warmed up to the idea. He asked if you and your father were still coming around on the 26 th and when I said yeah he seemed excited. _

_I just realized that you’ll be getting this on Christmas morning, so Happy Christmas my love. I wish more than anything to be with you today, but I know that I’m going to see you tomorrow and I can finally hug you properly and kiss your stupid face in front of everyone because everyone knows!_

_This is so freeing to write, you have no idea. We’ve made it. We’re here. I’m so thankful for you Scorpius, you have no idea. You give me strength that I didn’t even know I had. I miss you more than words can say. As I’m writing this, it is 10:36 PM on the 24 th, which means that I’ll see you in approximately 40 hours. I love you so so so so much._

_Sincerely,_

_Your Albus”_

…

Christmas Day went off as usual. Lily woke everyone in the house up at 7 AM and demanded that they all come downstairs to open presents. James got a new broom, Lily got a few new dresses and a pair of glasses she had been wanting and Albus got a new pair of sneakers and few joke gifts from Ron and George’s joke shop that always made him smile. 

Albus did get a letter back from Scorpius later in the afternoon, when he was settled in the living room with his family watching some cheesy Christmas film. The owl came by and dropped it off and Albus smiled as soon as he saw his boyfriend’s sloppy handwriting. It simply said:

_“I love you too you massive dork. See you tomorrow.”_

…

December 26th finally came and Albus couldn’t be more eager. It had only been a week since he last saw Scorpius but it had felt like a lifetime. He woke up and walked downstairs to see his mother cooking breakfast in the kitchen and the rest of his family lounging around in the living room.

When James saw him walk in he smirked, “Excited to see your boyfriend in a couple hours Al?”

Albus blushed a bit but nodded. Harry lowered his morning paper to see his son who had just walked in the room and smiled. Ginny called them all over to the table for breakfast.

“Ron and Hermione and the kids should be over around noon.” Ginny announced as she cut into her eggs.

“Okay. Albus, when are Draco and Scorpius getting here?” Harry asked. 

“Um, I think around 1 or 2. I’m not sure.”

“That’s alright. I’m glad they could make it.”

Albus smiled in return. James and Lily just sat there quietly eating their eggs.

When breakfast was finished, Albus stayed in the kitchen with his mum helping her clean up before their guests arrived in a couple hours. He was clearing plates off the table and passing them to her so she could wash them and set them on the rack to dry. Ginny never asked for any help, but he saw that she had a lot to do and really helping his mother seemed nicer then sitting in his room worrying himself sick.

“You know Albus, I never really got the chance to speak to you at dinner the other night. I know you were mostly worried about dad’s reaction and I had to let you two have your moment, but I really am proud of you. You were so brave to stand up and make your announcement in front of the whole family. I’m so beyond happy that you’ve found someone who appreciates you like we do, and I’m especially happy that that ‘someone’ is Scorpius, because, well, you know I adore him. He’s so polite.” Ginny said nonchalantly as she continued to wash dishes.

“Thanks mum.”

“You really love him?" 

“I do.”

Ginny nodded then but the smile on her face was unmistakable. “Go up to your room and get ready, your cousins will be here in an hour.”

…

Scorpius was pacing. Him and his dad were due to leave any minute now to go to the Potters and he had no idea what to wear. Was a t-shirt too casual? How casual was this get together? Should he do something with his hair? It was all too much.

Draco walked into his room a moment later and saw his son sitting on his bed surrounded by a mess of clothes. “What are you doing? Don’t you want to get going?”

“Yeah let’s go.” Scorpius sighed deciding that his outfit wasn’t going to get any better.

They were using floo powder, which was exciting because in just a matter of seconds Scorpius would be reunited with his boyfriend. Draco went first, leaving Scorpius standing alone staring at the green flames. He walked into the fireplace and grabbed a hand full of floo powder before taking a deep breath and throwing the powder on the floor.

Suddenly he was tumbling out of the Potter’s chimney into their living room. Before he could even open his eyes and adjust to the new setting he was being tackled to the ground. He let out a shocked gasp until he smelled the familiar scent of Albus’ shampoo and then he couldn’t help but smile.

“Um hi.” Scorpius said through a fit of laughter.

Albus had his head buried in Scorpius’ shoulder but pulled away to look him in the eyes. “Hi.”

Albus leaned in to kiss Scorpius quickly on the mouth then jumped to his feet and offered his hand to help Scorpius up. Scorpius was still laughing when he stood up and brushed all the ash from the fireplace off his clothing. He noticed that his dad was already in the kitchen talking to the other adults. All of Albus’ cousins were sitting on the couch just a few feet away from them chatting and playing some muggle board game. No one besides Albus even seemed to notice that Scorpius had arrived.

Albus took Scorpius’ hand and led him over to the group of his cousins. When they walked up, they all stopped playing the game and smiled at the two of them.

“Hey Scorpius!” Rose said cheerfully. 

“Yeah hey man, grab a seat.” James scooted over so there was more space on the couch and Albus and Scorpius squeezed in next to him.

They stayed there for a couple hours until dinner was ready and it was nice. Sitting and chatting with all the Potter/Granger-Weasley cousins sounds a bit intimidating but Scorpius fit right in. Once and a while one of the adults would walk over to check on them but nothing out of the blue. Scorpius saw his dad glace over once or twice and smile when he saw that Scorpius was having a good time. Truth be told, Scorpius was happy that his father was having a good time with the adults. He was kind of worried that this get together would be awkward for him, but ever since everything that happened last year, his dad admitted to not having any animosity towards the Potters.

Soon enough, they were called for dinner. Scorpius walked into the dining room and noticed Ginny and Hermione setting plates of food onto the table. Harry, Ron and Draco were pouring drinks for everyone. All the kids sat on one side of the table but Scorpius made sure to sit towards the middle so that he could be next to his dad.

Albus pulled out his chair for him and he blushed at the gesture. Once he was seated he looked around and saw that the whole table had noticed the exchange but he didn’t really mind 

Dinner went off without a hitch. Everyone raved about Ginny’s cooking and she thanked them bashfully. Scorpius knew that Albus announced their relationship to the entire Weasley family two nights prior but this was still new to them. They were so use to having to hide their feelings for each other and now they had the freedom to express it openly in front of anyone and everyone.

Scorpius reached over and grabbed Albus’ hand under the table and Albus squeezed it for reassurance. The meal was excellent, the conversation was flowing fluidly. Really, Scorpius didn’t know what he was so worried about.

“So, Albus, Scorpius, how did you two get together?” It was Ron who said it. He was three glasses of wine in and truthfully probably didn’t understand how awkward of a question it was he was asking. Hermione shot him a look that was a mix between second-hand embarrassment and confusion.

Albus and Scorpius turned to look at each other as if asking who was going to answer when someone else spoke up.

“I got them together!” James announced proudly.

“Is that true?” Ginny asked after a while of pure silence.

“Well, um, yeah technically. I suppose it is.” Albus replied.

“Wait a minute, how did James manage to get you two together?” This time it was Rose. “I didn’t know that, I just heard that Karl Jenkins caught you two snogging in the dorms.”

Albus let go of Scorpius’ hand under the table and brought it up to cover his face from embarrassment. Scorpius was sure his face was bright red and he didn’t dare chance to turn towards his father.

“Thanks for that Rose.” Albus said and she mouthed an apology from across the table.

“Wait, wait, wait, one of your dorm mates walked in on you two? Ever heard of a lock?” Ron asked abruptly and Hermione smacked him to tell him that he was really crossing a line.

Albus spoke up, “Um, anyway. James. Yeah, James made a comment about how we acted very couple-y I suppose and then we kind of just decided to get together. That’s it, that’s the story. Can we move on?”

“You just decided to get together. It was that simple?” Draco was talking now. Scorpius turned around and looked at his father for the first time since this topic was brought up. He didn’t look as uncomfortable as everyone else at the table did which was a good sign, if anything he just looked curious.

“Well, no. I mean I had a proper melt down over what I was feeling before even addressing it and then there were a lot of awkward confessions and well, it worked out for the best.” Scorpius admitted.

Everyone laughed at that and Albus looked at Scorpius completely smitten. Soon enough, the tension in the room eased and conversation picked back up.

…

After dinner, Albus pulled Scorpius away from the crowd and started up the stairs.

“You know, we’re really supposed to be socializing with our families.” Scorpius teased.

“Shut up, I haven’t seen you for a week.” Albus said as he pushed open the door to his bedroom. 

Scorpius rolled his eyes but followed Albus inside anyway. Albus shut the door before walking over to sit on his bed. Scorpius sat next to him and anticipated what was coming next.

“I missed you.” Albus sighed happily taking Scorpius’ hand.

“I missed you too.” Scorpius said as he leaned in to kiss Albus.

Albus fell back onto the bed and Scorpius shifted himself so that he was hovering over his boyfriend. They knew that they couldn’t stay up here too long without their parents coming to look for them. That however didn’t stop them from continuing.

They couldn’t have been gone for more than ten minutes when the door burst open.

“Hey Al, mum wanted me to—oh Merlin.” James groaned covering his eyes with his hand.

Scorpius climbed off of Albus and looked down at the ground awkwardly deciding to let his boyfriend handle the situation. Albus sat up from where he was lying on his bed before speaking, “What did mum want you to do James?”

“Um, she wanted to let you know that Mr. Malfoy is ready to leave. You know, whenever you and Scorpius are finished up here.”

“Piss off. We’ll be right down.” 

James laughed and closed the door on his way out.

Albus and Scorpius slowly stood up and looked over their appearance in the mirror. Scorpius’ face was flushed red from embarrassment and Albus’ hair was a mess, but eventually, they concluded that they looked presentable enough to go downstairs and face their parents.

They found everyone in the kitchen. All the adults were standing around the island drinking mugs of tea, and James and the rest of the cousins were still sitting around the table chatting.

“Oh there you boys are!” Harry exclaimed. Everyone’s heads shot up to see Albus and Scorpius enter the room. James attempted to hold back a laugh and Rose hit him over the head in the most nonchalant way possible proving that he had obviously told the cousins about what he just walked in on. 

“Ready to go Scorpius?” Draco asked.

Scorpius nodded in reply.

The two said their goodbyes to the Granger-Weasleys before Harry, Ginny, and Albus walked them to the fireplace so that they could go home.

“Well, Harry, Ginny, this turned out to be a wonderful evening. Thank you for inviting us over again, truly. I’m glad that we can do this now.” Draco said genuinely sincere.

“It’s no problem at all Draco. You and your son are always welcome here.”

Once the adults were done exchanging their goodbyes, they all turned to look at Albus and Scorpius. They knew of course that term started in a week and then they’d be together again but that didn’t mean that they were any less sad.

Albus pulled Scorpius into a hug like he had so many times before. Scorpius wrapped his arms around the other boy’s neck and took in every minute of the embrace before he knew he’d have to leave. Once the hug had lasted longer than it needed to, Scorpius drew back and grabbed Albus’ hand.

“I love you. I’ll see you in a week alright?”

“I love you too.” And with that Albus pulled Scorpius in one more time and kissed him. He moved his hand from where it was interlocked with Scorpius’ and placed it on his boyfriend’s cheek. Scorpius sighed happily, realizing that he didn’t really care if his father was right next to him watching the whole exchange. 

They pulled away and the two of them stared directly into each other’s eyes. They were both on the verge of tears, but they managed to hold it in and keep a smile on their face.

“One week.” Scorpius said.

“One week.” Albus repeated.

Scorpius turned around and got in the chimney with his dad. Then, before Albus knew it, he was gone, replaced by a mass of green smoke.

Albus thought about all the things that they had been through in the past couple months. All the sneaking around in the beginning, followed by literally being outed to the whole school overnight. Then there was actually mustering up the courage to tell their families. Truth be told, Albus doubts he could’ve gotten through it if it wasn’t for Scorpius being so thoughtful and encouraging. 

The worst was finally behind them and Albus couldn’t help but smile thinking about all the great times that were still to come.

 

**Author's Note:**

> As usual, comments are ALWAYS appreciated :)
> 
> xoxo


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